Reconstructionist Confucianism

Reconstructionist Confucianism
Author: Ruiping Fan
Publisher: Springer Science & Business Media
Total Pages: 305
Release: 2010-03-11
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 9048131561

Contrasting with conventional Neo-Confucian attempts to recast the Confucian heritage in light of modern Western values, this book offers a Reconstructionist Confucian project to reclaim Confucian resources to meet contemporary moral and public policy challenges. Ruiping Fan argues that popular accounts of human goods and social justice within the dominant individualist culture of the West are too insubstantial to direct a life of virtue and a proper structure of society. Instead, he demonstrates that the moral insights of Confucian thought are precisely those needed to fill the moral vacuum developing in post-communist China and to address similar problems in the West. The book has a depth of reflection on the Confucian tradition through a comparative philosophical strategy and a breadth of contemporary issues addressed unrivaled by any other work on these topics. It is the first in English to explore not only the endeavor to revive Confucianism in contemporary China, but also brings such an endeavor to bear upon the important ethical, social, and political difficulties being faced in 21st century China. The book should be of interest to any philosopher working in application of traditional Chinese philosophy to contemporary issues as well as any reader interested in comparative cultural and ethical studies.

Wang Fuzhi’s Reconstruction of Confucianism

Wang Fuzhi’s Reconstruction of Confucianism
Author: Mingran Tan
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 273
Release: 2021-09-17
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 3030802639

Wang Fuzhi (1619-1692), a Ming loyalist, was forced to find solutions for both cultural and political crises of his time. In this book Mingran Tan provides a comprehensive review of Wang Fuzhi’s understanding of historical events and his interpretation of the Confucian classics. Tan explains what kind of Confucian system Wang Fuzhi was trying to construct according to his motto, “The Six Classics require me to create something new”. He sought a basis for Confucian values such as filial piety, humanity and ritual propriety from political, moral and cosmological perspectives, arguing that they could cultivate a noble personality, beatify political governance, and improve social and cosmological harmony. This inspired Wang Fuzhi’s attempt to establish a syncretic blend of the three branches of Neo-Confucianism, i.e., Zhu Xi’s (1130-1200) philosophy of principle , Wang Yangming’s (1472-1529) philosophy of mind and Zhang Zai’s (1020-1077) philosophy of qi (material force). The most thorough work on Wang Fuzhi available in English, this study corrects some general misunderstanding of the nature of Wang Fuzhi’s philosophy and helps readers to understand Wang Fuzhi from an organic perspective. Building upon previous scholars’ research on Wang Fuzhi’s notion of moral cultivation, Tan gives a comprehensive understanding of how Wang Fuzhi improves social and cosmological harmony through compliance with Confucian rituals.

Confucian Democracy

Confucian Democracy
Author: Sor-hoon Tan
Publisher: State University of New York Press
Total Pages: 269
Release: 2012-02-01
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 0791486087

Through a detailed study of relevant concepts and theories in Confucianism and John Dewey's pragmatist philosophy, this book illustrates the possibility of Confucian democracy and offers an alternative to Western liberal models. Sor-hoon Tan synthesizes the two philosophies through a comparative examination of individuals and community, democratic ideals of equality and freedom, and the nature of ethical and political order. By constructing a model of Confucian democracy that combines the strengths of both Confucianism and Deweyan pragmatism, this book explores how a premodern tradition could be put in dialogue with contemporary political and philosophical theories.

Confucian Ethics of the Axial Age

Confucian Ethics of the Axial Age
Author: Heiner Roetz
Publisher: SUNY Press
Total Pages: 392
Release: 1993-01-01
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 9780791416495

Confucian Ethics of the Axial Age describes the formative period of Chinese culture--the last centuries of the Zhou dynasty--as an early epoch of enlightenment. It comprehensively reconstructs the ethical discourse as thought gradually became emancipated from tradition and institutions. Rather than presenting a chronology of different thinkers and works, this book discusses the systematic aspects of moral philosophies. Based on original texts, Roetz focuses on filial piety; the conflict between the family and the state; the legitimating of the political order; the virtues of loyalty, friendship, and harmony; concepts of justice; the principle of humaneness and its different readings; the Golden Rule; the moral person; the autonomous self, motivation, decision and conscience; and various attempts to ground morality in religion, human nature, or reason. These topics are arranged in such a way that the genetic structure and the logical development of the moral reasoning becomes apparent. From this detached perspective, conventional morality is either rejected or critically reestablished under the restraint of new abstract and universal norms. This makes the Chinese developments part of the ancient worldwide movement of enlightenment of the axial age.

Confucian Political Philosophy

Confucian Political Philosophy
Author: Robert A. Carleo III
Publisher: Springer Nature
Total Pages: 204
Release: 2021-11-08
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 3030706117

This book debates the values and ideals of Confucian politics—harmony, virtue, freedom, justice, order—and what these ideals mean for Confucian political philosophy today. The authors deliberate these eminent topics in five debates centering on recent innovative and influential publications in the field. Challenging and building on those works, the dialogues consider the roles of benevolence, family determination, public reason, distributive justice, and social stability in Confucian political philosophy. In response, the authors defend their views and evaluate their critics in turn. Taking up a broad range of crucial issues—autonomy, liberty, democracy, political legitimacy, human welfare—these author-meets-critic debates will appeal to scholars interested in political, comparative, and East Asian philosophy. Their interlaced themes weave a portrait of what is at stake in discussing Confucian values and theory. Most importantly, they engage and develop the state of the field of Confucian political philosophy today.

Self-Realization through Confucian Learning

Self-Realization through Confucian Learning
Author: Siufu Tang
Publisher: SUNY Press
Total Pages: 194
Release: 2016-07-29
Genre: Philosophy
ISBN: 1438461496

Confucian philosopher Xunzi’s moral thought is considered in light of the modern focus on self-realization. Self-Realization through Confucian Learning reconstructs Confucian thinker Xunzi’s moral philosophy in response to the modern focus on self-realization. Xunzi (born around 310 BCE) claims that human xing (“nature” or “native conditions”) is without an ethical framework and has a tendency to dominate, leading to bad judgments and bad behavior. Confucian ritual propriety (li) is needed to transform these human native conditions. Through li, people become self-directing: in control of feelings and desires and in command of their own lives. Siufu Tang explicates Xunzi’s understanding of the hierarchical structure of human agency to articulate why and how li is essential to self-realization. Ritual propriety also structures relationships to make a harmonious communal life possible. Tang’s focus on self-realization highlights how Confucianism can address the individual as well as the communal and serve as a philosophy for contemporary times.

Wang Fuzhi's Reconstruction of Confucianism

Wang Fuzhi's Reconstruction of Confucianism
Author: Mingran Tan
Publisher:
Total Pages: 0
Release: 2021
Genre:
ISBN: 9783030802646

Wang Fuzhi (1619-1692), a Ming loyalist, was forced to find solutions for both cultural and political crises of his time. In this book, Mingran Tan provides a comprehensive review of Wang Fuzhi's understanding of historical events and his interpretation of the Confucian classics. Tan explains what kind of Confucian system Wang Fuzhi was trying to construct according to his motto, "The Six Classics require me to create something new." He sought a basis for Confucian values such as filial piety, humanity and ritual propriety from political, moral and cosmological perspectives, arguing that they could cultivate a noble personality, beatify political governance, and improve social and cosmological harmony. This inspired Wang Fuzhi's attempt to establish a syncretic blend of the three branches of Neo-Confucianism, i.e., Zhu Xi's (1130-1200) philosophy of principle, Wang Yangming's (1472-1529) philosophy of mind, and Zhang Zai's (1020-1077) philosophy of qi (material force). The most thorough work on Wang Fuzhi available in English, this study corrects common misunderstandings of the nature of Wang Fuzhi's philosophy, and helps readers to understand Wang Fuzhi from an organic perspective. Building upon previous scholars' research on Wang Fuzhi's notion of moral cultivation, Tan gives a comprehensive understanding of how Wang Fuzhi improves social and cosmological harmony through compliance with Confucian rituals. Mingran Tan is Professor in Center for Zhouyi & Ancient Chinese Philosophy, and Department of Philosophy at Shandong University, China. .

The Confucian Misgivings--Liang Shu-ming’s Narrative About Law

The Confucian Misgivings--Liang Shu-ming’s Narrative About Law
Author: Zhangrun Xu
Publisher: Springer
Total Pages: 238
Release: 2017-06-23
Genre: Law
ISBN: 9811045305

The major intellectual interest throughout this book is to offer a study on China's legal legacy, through Liang Shu-ming's eyes. The book follows the formula of the parallel between Life and Mind (人生与人心), Physis and Nomos, and compares Liang Shu-ming's narrative with his own practical orientation and with the theories of other interlocutors. The book puts Liang Shu-ming into the social context of modern Chinese history, in particular, the context of the unprecedented crisis of meaning in the legal realm and the collapse of a transcendental source for Chinese cultural identity in the light of modernity. The evaluation provided by this narrative could be helpful in clarifying the deep structures and significance of the present Chinese legal system through historically exploring Liang Shu-ming's misgivings. The book is intended for academics of legal, history and cultural studies. The book is unique in that it is the first book to explore New Confucian's considerations on reconstruction of Chinese legal system in the modern era. It presents a comprehensive systematical comparison of Liang Shu-ming's narrative about constitutional government in China against other schools of thought.

Reinventing Confucianism

Reinventing Confucianism
Author: Umberto Bresciani
Publisher: Passerino Editore
Total Pages: 904
Release: 2023-07-03
Genre: Religion
ISBN:

Reinventing Confucianism is a pioneer presentation of the New Confucian Movement, which has developed in China in the aftermath of the 1919 May Fourth Movement. The book offers a brief history of this current of thought, reviewing the three generations of leaders from the 1920s to the present, and describes the life and thought of eleven main figures representative of the philosophical development of China in the 20th century. We are introduced to Liang Shuming, the forerunner of the movement; Ma Yifu, the Confucian hermit; Xiong Shili the metaphysician; Zhang Junmai, an advocate of political democracy and constitutionalism; Feng Youlan, the renowned philosopher; He Lin, a follower of Hegel; Qian Mu, the historian; Tang Junyi, the spiritual philosopher; Xu Fuguan the intellectual histo rian and sharp columnist; and finally Mou Zongsan, with his elaborate metaphysical system, considered by many as the crowning of this collective philosophical endeavor. Umberto Bresciani also discusses the third generation of the movement and the renaissance of Confucian studies in today’s China. The book is the most complete assessment to date of the accomplishments, limits, and future of a movement now situated at the center of the Chinese intellectual landscape. Umberto Bresciani introduces to us the history and central issues of the New Confucian Movement, and presents the life and thought of eleven leading figures. He also discusses the third generation of the movement and the renaissance of Confucian studies in today’s China as well as the accomplishment, limits and future of the movement. This book is a precious reference for anyone interested in the history of Chinese philosophy and cultural history. Its focus on comparative culture and thought makes it an indispensable tool for research and teaching in these fields. Umberto Bresciani 1942 Born in Ca’d’Andrea, Cremona, Italy. 1962 High School Graduate (Maturità Classica), Liceo Ballerini, Seregno (MI), Italy. 1968 Licentiate of Philosophy & Theology, Studentato Teologico Saveriano, Parma, Italy. 1969 Entered Chinese Language Institute (Annexed to Fujen University, Taipei, Taiwan). 1973 B.A. (major: History; minor: Chinese Studies), University of Maryland (U.S.A.), Far East Division. 1975 M.A. Chinese Literature, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan. 1983 Ph. D. Chinese Literature, National Taiwan University, Taipei, Taiwan. Professor of Italian Language: National Taiwan Normal University, Taipei (since 1974). Professor, Dept. of Italian Language & Culture, Fujen University, Xinzhuang, Taipei, Taiwan (since 2003). Umberto Bresciani has lived in Taiwan for over 40 years. His main interest is Chinese philosophical and religious thought and comparative theological studies. Main publications Books: Xifang hanxuejia yanjiu wenshidongyi de shangdui (Evaluation of research by Western sinologists on the Wenshidongyi), dissertation for the Ph.D., Chinese Literature, Taipei: National Taiwan University, May 1983. Reinventing Confucianism: The New Confucian Movement, Taipei: Ricci Institute, 2001. La filosofia cinese nel ventesimo secolo – I nuovi confuciani, Roma: Urbaniana University Press, 2009. Il primo principio della filosofia confuciana (Ebook), Gaeta: Passerino Editore, 2014.

Confucianism

Confucianism
Author: Ming-huei Lee
Publisher: University of Hawaii Press
Total Pages: 178
Release: 2018-03-31
Genre: Religion
ISBN: 0824878329

“In Confucianism: Its Roots and Global Significance, English-language readers get a rare opportunity to read in a single volume the work of one of Taiwan’s most distinguished scholars. Although Ming-huei Lee has published in English before, the corpus of his non-Chinese writings is in German. Readers of this volume will soon discover the hard-mindedness and precision of thinking so associated with German philosophy as they enter into his discussions of Confucianism. As readers progress through this book, they will be constantly reminded that all philosophy should be truly comparative. . . . “The work is divided into three sections: Classical Confucianism and Its Modern Reinterpretations, Neo-Confucianism in China and Korea, and Ethics and Politics. These sections evince just some of the range of Ming-huei Lee’s thinking as well as his inclusive reach of Confucian philosophy to the whole of East Asia, especially to Korea. In the Ethics and Politics section, readers will get a taste for the return to his own tradition through the lens of Kantian philosophy with his analysis of Confucius and the virtue ethics debate in Confucian philosophical circles. Lee’s thinking through Mou Zongsan’s interpretation of Confucianism, Zhu Xi and the Huxiang scholars’ debate on ren, and the unfolding of the debates over the 'four buddings' and 'seven feelings' in Korea by Yi Toegye and Gi Gobong sets up the subsequent chapters of the book: a reconstruction of Wang Yangming’s philosophy and theories of democracy, and a critique of Jiang Qing’s 'political Confucianism.' His work in this book adds a sizable appendage to Confucian scholarship. Moreover, the interrelated ideas and arguments presented in this book are a special contribution to the Confucian project in English-speaking countries across the world.” —from the Editor’s Foreword An electronic version of this book is freely available thanks to the support of libraries working with Knowledge Unlatched, a collaborative initiative designed to make high-quality books open access for the public good. The open-access version of this book is licensed under Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivatives 4.0 International (CC BY-NC-ND 4.0), which means that the work may be freely downloaded and shared for non-commercial purposes, provided credit is given to the author. Derivative works and commercial uses require permission from the publisher.